What Does "Het Dee Dai Dee" Mean?

Photo: Mack Phienboupha

It means "Do good, get good."

Derived from one of the main principles of Buddhism, in which many Lao people practice, HDDD is the golden rule of karma. That if you do good, you'll receive good. And, if you do bad, you'll receive bad. Much like the Western saying, "What goes around, comes around." There are no strict guidelines, scriptures, or commandments that dictate this mantra. You don't need to be Buddhist. You just need an open mind. The general rule of thumb is quite simple - try to do good for yourself and others in all that you do. In return, the hope is to generate goodwill and positivity for yourself and those around you. No matter where you're from or what your background, the message of doing good is universally understood and easy to adopt.

With TI, I do good by repurposing old traditional Lao textiles into contemporary accessories through a campaign called #ProjectRepurpose. My goals for the project are to bring new life to textiles in a unique format, educate communities about Lao culture and heritage through fashion, encourage creativity and conscious consumerism, and promote positivity.

How do you do good? Feel free to share a story/photo of how you repurpose and do good on Twitter andInstagram (hashtag #HetDeeDaiDee #DoGood #ProjectRepurpose).

#DoGood/#HetDeeDaiDee tees and hats are available here. Below are some friends who are doing good!